Michael Jacobsen

I am a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw and a member of Seyfarth's Labor & Employment Department. As a litigator, I defend companies facing a variety of class, collective, and other representative actions in federal and state courts and arbitration, reaching decisive, favorable resolutions early on in these matters, as well as in the development of successful long-term strategies as necessary. As a counselor, I partner with our clients to develop best practices and ensure compliance with federal and state employment and privacy laws. I lead Seyfarth's Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) class action team and also defend complex discrimination and harassment litigation brought by the EEOC and private plaintiffs under the ADA and other civil rights laws, as well as wage and hour and consumer fraud claims. I have represented clients in the manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, restaurant, senior living, staffing, education, and investment spaces, among others. I have an extensive practice of matters pending in California, providing me with a unique perspective in our Chicago office in defending against cutting-edge plaintiff theories in this fluid arena. I draw from more than a decade of experience defending complex and large-scale litigation to navigate the constantly-evolving procedural and substantive challenges in the variety of matters that I handle. I am dedicated to client service and committed to making our clients' jobs easier and achieving successful outcomes for them based on their unique needs and goals.